Big Night for Green and White Massabesic’s Class of 2014 graduates, turns to the future

Thursday

Jun 19, 2014 at 3:15 AM

By Ellen W. ToddSanford News Writer

PORTLAND — With words of encouragement from their principal and fellow classmates and the cheers and tears of their families and friends, the 217 members of Massabesic High School’s class of 2014 celebrated the end of their high school years and stepped into their future.

The students marched into the Cumberland County Civic Center last Thursday, June 12, to the familiar strains of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” girls in white gowns, boys in green.

In his opening address, Principal Christian Elkington congratulated the graduates and then proceeded to acknowledge their accomplishments. Beginning with students who attended a technical school to learn and pursue a career while still in high school, Elkington asked students to stand and be recognized for their achievements. They included students planning to go directly into the workforce and “become taxpayers,” students planning to continue their education in a one-year or two-year degree program, and — the majority — students going on to four-year schools to pursue a degree. Elkington then asked students going into the armed forces to stand. As 10 students stood to be recognized, audience members also leaped to their feet to give the students an extended and heartfelt standing ovation.

Telling the soon-to-be graduates that he believes each of them has untapped potential, Elkington said, “I believe that each one of you can, and will, do anything you want if you put your mind to it.”

He compared their lives to skyscrapers, saying that each of them will decide how many floors his or her skyscraper will have, and not to let anyone else impose limits on them.

Assistant Principal John B. Morin announced individual scholarship recipients and said that the class of 2014 was awarded a total of nearly $110,000 from the community to help them continue their education.

Each year, Massabesic High School presents one academic award at its commencement ceremony. The Faculty Bowl is a silver bowl given by the faculty to the student who best exemplifies the qualities of citizenship, leadership and dedication. In her introduction, teacher Jennifer Blair described this year’s recipient as a kind and generous student who distinguished herself in the classroom and on the athletic field — a student whose “work ethic is without parallel” and who “enthusiastically takes on any task and works with any group.” Blair presented the bowl to Rayne Whitten.

As the first student speaker, honor essayist Zachary Peters drew on the life of painter and inventor Leonardo da Vinci and his quest to create the first flying machine.

“For years he studied the wings of birds in order to draw up these complex blueprints, but he had to start somewhere. He started with a blank slate,” Peters said.

As freshmen, Peters said, he and his classmates had started with their own blank slates. Over the years, the lessons they learned, the knowledge they received, along with the support and guidance of teachers, parents, mentors, and others, Peters said, helped them find their passions and create the blueprint for their lives.

Salutatorian Olivia Bradley characterized the high school years as “equal parts marathon and sprint,” with homework, sports and other activities. “To all of you, I want to say well done. We’re crossing the finish line,” she said.

The new journey on which they were about to embark, she said, would be “unpredictable and changeable” and she and her classmates would have to rely on themselves “to accept the harsh reality of failure and learn how to get back up, dust ourselves off and keep going.” Their most important job would no longer be just passing in assignments, Bradley said, it would be “to find who we are, to find where we belong, and to make a difference.”

In her speech, valedictorian Rayne Whitten quoted “the wise words of the great Dr. Seuss.”

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” she told her classmates.

Whitten reflected on the previous four years and how quickly the time had slipped away.

“How are we supposed to leave behind the people who have made our lives?” Whitten asked.

“I don’t have the answer,” she said. “But there’s one thing I can say: we will survive.”

She urged her classmates to hold on to their memories as they will mean more over time.

She also encouraged her classmates to “give everything you have — not tomorrow, not next week, today, and every single day you live.”

“Now I challenge you to make a lasting impression on the world. Build, write, speak, teach, learn, win, inspire,” Whitten said in closing.

“The route to inspiration is completely yours, but the result is all of ours.”